


Be Your Own Hero

by Desparado



Series: April Song Challenge [19]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24253021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desparado/pseuds/Desparado
Summary: The avengers take in an enhanced with fire powers- you- with the hope to train you into one of them. But with all of the damage previously left in your wake, you don’t believe you can change, resigning yourself to be a lost cause. Can a certain demigod use his own experience to prove that you can be something more?April Writing Challenge Day 19 – Wildfire (by Demi Lovato)
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Reader
Series: April Song Challenge [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740901
Kudos: 16





	Be Your Own Hero

**Author's Note:**

> I created myself a little writing challenge for April. The challenge is a new song each day (Thanks to shuffling my iTunes library) to inspire a fic of some kind. I’ll listen to the song a few times, and then plan like mad when the inspiration hits. 
> 
> Reader's gender not mentioned.
> 
> Warnings: Slight swearing, angst, mentions of parental abuse and suicidal thoughts PLEASE READ WITH CARE MY LOVELIES, fluffy ending

You sighed, flicking through the TV channels in the hopes of finding something good. Instead you were plagued by news segments- the anniversary of the hospital fire in your hometown; hundreds dead and almost no survivors as the building collapsed within minutes of ignition. You hung your head in shame, flashbacks to the event haunted you every day, and today even more so. There was a light knock on the door followed by a calm voice, “Hey y/n.”  
“Hey Bruce.” You replied, not looking up from the floor. He walked over, sat on the bed next to you and used the remote to mute the TV, causing you to look up. “You should listen to that, it’s very emotive and heartfelt.” He glanced at you and brought his lips into a thin smile.  
“It wasn’t your fault-”  
“Stop saying that!” You stood up and walked away from him, “I’m sick of everyone saying it wasn’t my fault when it was! I caused it! These hands-“ you held them up as flames appeared from your wrists to your fingertips, “- murdered hundreds of people, including children, and there is no one to blame but me!” Bruce shuffled slightly; his hands clasped together as he watched you.  
“Then let me rephrase,” he stood up and moved towards you, placing his hands lightly on your upper arms, “You didn’t know what you were doing.” You were silent for a moment, then shook your head, tears coming into your eyes, “I think I did. I remember how powerful I felt in that moment- I was burning like the sun and all I could think of was how I could set the world ablaze. Punish everyone else for what happened to me.” Bruce brought you into a hug and it surprised you. He became a very good friend of yours, but you had little physical contact, instead he was your mentor, anger management counsellor- the only one who could really understand you. You allowed your body to lean into him for a moment before pulling away, “I’m sorry Bruce, I just don’t think I can do this anymore.” You walked out of your room before he could register your words, entering the elevator and watching the door close just as he reached for you, calling your name. 

You had made your way to the garage and grabbed your helmet and leathers before quickly putting them on and hopping onto your motorcycle. Walking out onto the track, you kicked it to life and sped down the drive away from the compound, away from your past. Whizzing through traffic made you feel free, on the roads no one knew who you were, you just some random motorcyclist, not a violent fire demon. Feeling your phone vibrate, you ignored the sensation and rode harder. You were probably riding way too fast considering the current traffic, but sharp eyes and sharper reflexes helped you weave between cars and avoid jaywalkers. As the roads got busier, you decided it was time to head out of the city. You cruised on the roads until skyscrapers became houses, and houses became trees. Finding the crooked sign, you smiled as you came to a stop and propped your bike behind a bush, away from prying eyes, then walked further into the forest. Your phone continued to vibrate almost constantly, enough to frustrate you as you yanked it out of your jacket pocket. Five missed calls from Bruce, two from Steve and one from Thor. You tutted and deleted the notifications, then found a text from Loki, seeing his name made your heart flutter, and you hesitated before opening it:  
‘Everyone’s panicking, please ride safe and call me if you need me. *smiling demon face* ’  
You smiled, Loki always seemed to understand you, even if he stayed quite distant from you. When Fury suggested he be your mentor, Loki merely laughed and said the idea was ridiculous. He did seem to keep an eye on you after that, however; whether he realised you’d noticed or not, you weren’t sure, but it was nice to know he was there.

You made it to your favourite clearing in time to watch the sun set. You sat on your log bench and inhaled the fresh air as you overlooked the edge of the cliff. The trees turned from green to orange as the sun held dominion over colour, illuminating everything in a burnt red haze. Wisps of cloud scattered the sky above like red/purple smoke as the evening birds began their lullabies. You always came here when you felt overwhelmed or just wanted to escape, and this time is was both. More images ran through your mind, a tear slowly made it was down your cheek and dripped onto your arm, guilt was suffocating you and tonight you were thinking of letting it consume you.  
“You didn’t call me.” A voice scolded behind you, making you jump and swiftly turn around. Your body relaxed when you realised it was Loki, dressed in black skinny jeans and a black crewneck jumper, as he cautiously made his way through the upturned roots and defensive trees to reach you. “You’re early,” You replied, turning away to face the setting sun, “GothCon isn’t until next week.”  
“Very funny.” Loki remarked with his sarcastic tone. “But you still didn’t call me.”  
“The text said: ‘call if I need you’, besides, I only read it 10 minutes ago.” He stood next to you, hands in his pockets,  
“I know, I’ve been checking regularly, and let’s be honest, darling, you always need me.” You couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.  
“Always so modest, aren’t you?”  
“As long as it makes you smile.” He quietly replied, raising his eyebrows at you. You glanced over at him, trying to read his facial expressions.  
“Why are you here, Loki?”  
“Because you needed me, obviously-”  
“No, seriously, Loki. Why are you here? How did you find me?” You stared at him until he dropped his gaze and shuffled his feet before sitting down on the log. He indicated for you to join and you did, leaving a small gap between you. “Bruce told us about your conversation and he’s been worried about you for a while. He was afraid that you were going to run away, but obviously he doesn’t know you like I do.” He looked over at you and you saw him swallow hard as his eyes met yours. Sun reflected in his eyes making them flicker like a green flame, it felt magnetic and you had a hard time focusing on his words. “Oh really,” you raised an eyebrow, “So tell me, what do am I going to do then?” He was silent as he considered your question before glancing at you knowingly. It sent a shive down your spine and you became nervous that maybe he did know. “Today is the anniversary of one of the most tragic events to occur in your life. An event you feel personally responsible for and cannot take back nor renounce. You’ve been slacking in your training for a few days now, staying mostly in your room and on your own; you barely eat and then you’ve come to the most beautiful place you know, somewhere you want your last breaths to be.” Stunned, you stared at Loki, your mouth open slightly. It was like he had opened your mind and read it like a picture book. “How did you-?” He have a small grin which then promptly faded.  
“Because I was you not long ago. The first anniversary after my move to Earth, I felt heart-shatteringly guilty at my actions and I didn’t know where else to turn. My brother was too optimistic to understand the gravity of my feelings, and I never discussed it with anyone else.” His voice was low, the darkness shrouded you both. “But on the day before my… planned departure, I was called upon by the avengers to assist with rescuing some children from a terrorist hideout. The mission was simple enough- I just used some illusions to hide the children and guide them to safety. As we reached the helicopter, one of them turned around to me and… hugged me. Then she whispered something in a language I didn’t understand and then smiled before climbing into her seat.” You were gazing at Loki, although his features but dulled by the night sky, you could hear the emotion in his voice like it was only yesterday. You turned your body towards him and shuffled closer whilst he took a breath, “It baffled me, but when the pilot translated it for me, I knew right then I had to keep going, to keep making a difference in the world so that I could save more girls like her.”  
“What did she say?” You asked quietly, Loki turned his face towards you and surprisingly you could now see the tears in his eyes.  
“My hero.” He whispered. You felt your chest collapse and you placed a hand on his shoulder,  
“But you are! You’ve done so much since New York and now everyone loves you!” Loki placed his hand on yours and squeezed it lightly.  
“My point is,” He whispered, looking at you with unexpectedly kind eyes, “I realised that dying didn’t make me a better person, I would have just died a villain, but living and actively improving myself and working hard to use my gifts to save others- that makes me a better person. And the same goes for you: if you choose to live, you can work hard and turn it all around so you become someone to admire rather than fear.” You looked over at the horizon, stars beginning to twinkle, their purple ocean turning blue. You shook your head, “It’s not that simple.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because I have done some terrible things, Loki. And I’m not talking about the hospital.” Frantically you blinked away the tears and refused to look in his direction, but you could feel his stare on you. “I’m sure you’ve probably read my file.”  
“Actually no,” He replied, almost whispering, “Anything I should know, you can tell me.” You sniffed as you placed your quivering hands on your knees, “Well then you should know that isn’t the first fire I’ve caused. As a teen I was a serial arsonist and set fire to anything I could- cars, sheds, even a local shop. It made me feel like a god. My dad, however, blamed it on Satan and would whip me nightly as I said my prayers.” You took a deep breath, trying hard to ignore the memories that were flooding back. For a moment you couldn’t speak, heat rising in your chest as you focused on the cool air and the singing birds. Then Loki placed a hand on your shaking knee and remained quiet. You cleared your throat, “Then one night I come back from working late, dad starts yelling at me, then gets the whip out and I just scream at him. As I do, this, like, inferno shoots out of my hand and hits the couch, sets the whole thing on fire. He looks at me and then starts coming at me as he spouts some exorcism shit. Then I get this overwhelming rush of adrenaline and I just, fling my arms out and scream. Next thing I remember, I’m lying on the floor and the whole house is like a wildfire- even the neighbours’ either side of us! At first, I thought it was a fucking dream but I didn’t care, I just felt so… alive. Then I passed out again and woke up in the hospital… and we know how that ended.” You stopped speaking and looked over at Loki, he had such a soft expression on his face, one you’d never seen before. “What?” You asked. He took a breath and then moved closer to you and caressed your cheek with his hand, “Thank you for telling me, I imagine that was very hard to do.” You shrugged, too focused on the feel of his cool skin on yours, “Well… I trust you.” Looking into his eyes, you were mesmerised once more as his emerald eyes now sparkled in the starlight. Despite the lack of light, you could see Loki’s lips parting slightly and it caught your attention. Then he slowly leaned forward and kissed you. It was gentle and soft. The coolness of his lips contrasted with the heat of yours and you felt tingles all across your chest. He started to pull away, “I’m sorry, that was inappro-”, but you cut him off by returning your lips to his, placing a hand on his jaw. He wrapped an arm around your waist and brought you closer, deepening the kiss. This was the clearest and most pure moment you’d had in years. You were practically melting into his kiss, willing him to take the air out of you and silently thanking him for it. You were left breathless when it ended, his fingers gently tucking strands of hair behind your ear, “I have waited for so long to do that.” He murmured, smiling.  
“Well, you’ve certainly been… persuasive this evening.” You replied, taking a slow breath in. Loki then took your hands in his and held them firmly as he gazed into your eyes, “Don’t come back for me, I want you to come back for you. You are incredibly talented and I know that- with training and self-motivation- you can become a hero in your own right.” A small smile grew on your lips as he spoke. “I won’t lie to you, this path will be treacherous with many obstacles, but I will always be here to support you on your journey.” He tilted his head, waiting for an answer. You nodded and blinked slowly. Then he stood up and tucked you under his arm as you both walked back to your bike. That’s when a thought struck you. “How did you know I was here? And- come to think of it- how did you get here?” He chuckled at your questions and winked,  
“My dear y/n, that would be telling wouldn’t it?”


End file.
